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The current Centrelink Newstart requirement for Australian job seekers in the over 55 cohorts is that they meet their mutual obligation requirements by doing at least 30 hours per fortnight of suitable paid work, self-employment, approved voluntary work or a mix of these. The aim of this Fellowship was to investigate how not for profit organisations in the United Kingdom, with similar profiles to Victorian Learn Local Organisations, have developed learning programs that address mutual obligation and training options for the over 50s. The focus of the research was the use of social enterprises, businesses that reinvest or donate their profits to create positive change, as environments for training that includes employability skills, vocational skills and/or entrepreneurship skills for older job seekers. Show less

With the need to focus on design-driven innovation it has become evident that there is a need to implement fashion knitwear into education nationally. Knits are a huge part of the apparel market of today that sees comfort as a priority as opposed to a previous world of non-stretch apparel. Hence, Australia must strive for a skilled fashion knitwear workforce that understands the technical skills, but more importantly has a design-driven focus; that is, can work backwards from the design and price point of the finished product whilst also designing within the technicalities and limitations of the machinery. Previously knitwear has been taught within the textile design and development sector of education, focusing on technology as opposed to designing fashion product. With industry supporting the need to train fashion knit specialist designers it is evident that knitwear must be included within the current fashion design programs nationally.

The Fellow visited universities that are leaders in the delivery of knit specialisation education to investigate current teaching strategies in fashion knitwear. Universities visited included Nottingham Trent, De Montfort and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong Polytechnic and Hong Kong Design Institute in Hong Kong. Information gathered will be incorporated into teaching and learning strategies in textiles, clothing and footwear (TCF) education nationally that will inevitably lead to increased innovation in the Australian TCF industries knitwear sectors, thus ensuring Australia a more competitive edge internationally.

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The audio-visual industry is pervasive. Wherever a message or idea must be disseminated to others it is invariably conveyed through the use of media or it is supported/reinforced by technology. Over the internet or on radio or television, in conventions, exhibitions, conferences, classrooms, lecture theatres, boardrooms and auditoria, technology is installed, maintained, operated and exploited/enhanced by audio-visual (AV) technicians. The technology landscape of these technicians, which might once have been described as 'hardware defined', long 'digital' in its construction, has only recently become truly digital in terms of the workflow paradigms arising from software and Internet Protocols (IP). Long ingrained analogue paradigms are giving way rapidly to workflows of automation. Notably, in industry sectors such as broadcast television, where declining budgets drive the quest to leaner production methods, the skill set of AV technicians is increasingly 'software defined'.

Through a series of meetings with industry leaders in Europe and the UK as well as attendance at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam in September 2014, the [author] sought to clarify the impacts of recent and emerging trends on the training requirements of AV technicians now and for the future. Discussions revealed the extent to which 'software defined networks' are changing the skill emphasis for these technicians. Developments in train for all broadcasters and operators of live productions highlighted a rapid transition from hardware biased modes of engineering solutions toward making all systems 'intelligent' including, in a sense, the very cables that carry the data.

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The author has witnessed a steady fall in retention and completion rates for apprentices. The Fellowship allowed the author to gain an international perspective into how modern-day apprenticeships are managed to improve retention and completion rates across numerous trade areas, with a primary focus on Commercial Cookery. The Fellowship enabled travel to Canada and a focus on the Canadian vocational training system whilst working with key stakeholders across the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The author was searching for international best practice models for managing and supporting apprentices through the use of innovative and contemporary program design.

Canada was able to demonstrate the value of close collaboration as essential to successful outcomes for apprentices through strong mentoring and workplace support for each student. The Fellowship highlighted the need for Australian [vocational education and training] VET practitioners to work together and to further engage with government and industry to maximise outcomes for all persons engaged in facilitation of modern-day apprenticeships. The major findings show that from an international perspective, the Australian Apprenticeship sector is robust and delivers quality training but it needs to re-evaluate the way in which courses are facilitated and managed to maintain and improve retention rates into the next 10 years.

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Applying lean service principles to streamline service delivery in vocational education organisations is particularly important in an environment of limited government funding and regulatory complexity. The purpose of this Fellowship is to assist in the development of skills and knowledge regarding the application of lean systems and processes to vocational education organisations. There are a variety of levels of lean manufacturing thinking that can be applied to the vocational education sector. However, there is currently a gap between lean service principles and how they might be applied in practice to vocational education. This Fellowship provides a practical perspective of how lean service techniques can be applied to this industry sector. Core themes are: (1) lean strategic planning frameworks; (2) customer service management thinking; (3) systems thinking in providing customer value in service organisations; (4) defining customer nominal value; and (5) frameworks for organisation change management in the public service training environment. This Fellowship will assist in filling the identified skills and knowledge gaps to provide an alternative way to improve services and cut costs based on lean service principles.

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There are complex issues surrounding young mothers' engagement with education including, but not limited to, access to suitable childcare during study/class time, adequate housing, financial support, and time to engage in studies are just a few impediments single mother students encounter on the road to procuring education and training. As a career single mother from a migrant background, the Fellow knows firsthand how difficult it is to undertake any training due to the above barriers. The Fellow had to navigate the language barrier, lack of family support, understanding the new and complex education system for both herself and her children. In addition, the lack of skills recognition; having studied and worked for a significant period of time in her country of origin, was both challenging and disheartening. The Fellow pursued her studies while raising children, forging different means of support that were not government dependent, as well as always aiming to be a role model for her children. This Fellowship took place in Germany for a period of 3 weeks. The Fellow visited government institutions, training organisations, employers and interviewed students as well as senior office holders and vocational education and training (VET) practitioners.

Learnings from the fellowship are as follows: (1) VET institutional leaders need to be equipped with skills and tools that are required for innovation and effective leadership to implement change in their institutions, localities, regions and nations; (2) Developing the transversal skills of learners ensures learners can transfer these skills to a wide variety of situations and work settings; (3) A simplified skill and qualification assessment process encourages learners to engage in the process; (4) The importance of solid partnerships between employers and the state and federal governments to ensure that a variety of skills training is available to learners; and (5) Employers must be well funded and equipped with the most current machinery and technology to ensure learners have access to current skills and remain competitive in the world market. This situation must be utilised more effectively in the Australian context.

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The authors are currently working at the Foundation Learning Centre (FLC) with disadvantaged youth, specialising in pregnant and parenting teens, supporting them to complete their secondary education. The overall aim of this Fellowship was to learn from organisations overseas that have established successful programs with positive outcomes. FLC's program is in its infancy and some of the organisations visited as part of the Fellowship have been running for over 20 years. The specific aims of the Fellowship included: (1) Examine best practice within international organisations and implement similar programs/practices at Foundation Learning Centre and encourage other Australian based organisations to implement similar practice; (2) Learn how best to engage this young cohort in order to increase attendance and therefore increase student's completion rate; and (3) Investigate how organisations incorporate wrap around services that assist their cohort to engage in education whilst supporting them with the external challenges they face.

The authors chose to undertake their research in the USA in order to identify how to improve current and future practice to reflect 'best practice' based on these overseas models. The organisations that hosted the authors are all well established and have been operating within this sector for 20 years plus therefore, have greater experience and knowledge than Australian based models. The key focus areas were: (1) student engagement strategies; (2) how to facilitate consistent student attendance; (3) how to create students sense of pride in their educational achievements; and (4) how to build students sense of 'belonging' in their education space. In addition, the authors were interested in how these organisations catered for the requirements of the babies of their students within the educational space and how, if at all, they tailored the students curriculum to support them with learning about parenting practices. The high level focus of the Fellowship was to gain information about the organisation's external partnerships, volunteer programs (if any) and funding sources.

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This report documents the experiences of the authors as part of an International Specialised Skills Institute (ISS)/TAFE Fellowship study program arising from their interest in the growing and documented gap between the social networking, mobile and other networked collaboration tools that young people are already using as part of their everyday lives, and the lack of use of these tools by, and within, Australian education. The program involved attendance and participation at two technology and community related conferences in Washington DC and was designed to provide the participants with cutting edge knowledge about trends in online sociable media. The aim was to generate new ways of engaging students using the technologies they themselves use every day, and thereby fostering new skill levels in the next generation of the workforce. The report also provides a series of recommendations for government, industry, the business sector, professional associations, education and training providers, and the ISS Institute. These recommendations also include suggestions for engaging in knowledge transfer activities. Show less

Guy Grossi's dedication to all aspects of the hospitality industry has seen him become one of the most highly respected and proactive contributors to the growth of the Victorian hospitality industry. He is a co-owner of Grossi Restaurants including Grossi Florentino, Merchant Osteria Veneta, Ombra Salumi Bar and Arlechin. In addition, Grossi is also a generous philanthropist working with young people to encourage them in the industry and explore it as a possible career path, and is particularly interested in assisting young people in need and mentoring others. Grossi has, through significant experience and preliminary research, identified that Australia is well positioned to be a leader in hospitality excellence yet believes we are falling behind other countries due to a lack in formal multi-disciplinary education that prepares members of the industry with the knowledge to work across the various sectors that comprise today and tomorrow's modern hospitality industry. The overarching goal of his Fellowship was to gather knowledge and insights from overseas International Hospitality Training Schools, combine this with his own personal knowledge as a leading and passionate member of the Australian industry and assist him to advocate for the establishment of a Hospitality Centre of Excellence in Australia.

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The importance of social and emotional learning (SEL) in vocational education is based on the idea that teaching students to learn and practice social skills will help them in challenging work environments and other areas of their lives. This report investigates the nature of SEL, outlining its research approach, methods used, research findings, and potential application to apprenticeship training both now and in the future. It investigates best practices in SEL in various settings to learn how they can be applied to vocational education and training (VET) programmes in Australia. Based on the research, several main responses are recommended.

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